<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Unconventional by Akire (rerae)</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22666303">Unconventional</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rerae/pseuds/Akire'>Akire (rerae)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Games We Play [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>3am visits, Developing Friendships, Fluff, Gen, Insomnia, M/M, follow up to sunny side up</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:06:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,854</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22666303</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rerae/pseuds/Akire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yugi nearly loses an eyeball when he sees who's standing - in his pajamas - in front of his hotel door.</p><p>"Kaiba-kun?!"</p><p>This is becoming a disturbing, reoccurring event.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kaiba Seto &amp; Mutou Yuugi, Kaiba Seto/Mutou Yuugi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Games We Play [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1651819</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unconventional</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's official. I can't write anything but vignettes. You who write anything more than that, you have earned my respect. Oh you don't really have to read Sunny Side Up to get this. At least I don't think you do? There are however allusions to my headcanons that I never wrote out via fanfic, but it shouldn't be too bad.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p></p><div><p>Damn.</p>
<p></p><div><p>Yugi runs an hand through his hair and rubs the heel of his hand over one eye. Still not what he wants. He tosses his pencil off to one side and lies down on his back, relishing in the relief and ignoring the papers he crumples along the way.</p></div><p>He scrubs a hand over his face and forces back the urge to yawn. Fights against his heavy eyelids. Okay. It's okay. He can figure this out. He has time.</p></div><div>
  <p>With that mantra in mind, he sits back up and searches for his pencil. Sorts through the papers to find the sketch he was working on.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It wasn't the best. Drawing isn't his forte, but as long as <em>he</em> understands what he's aiming for, he can work on building the prototype.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Is what he keeps telling himself.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>In a voice that sounds strangely like Anzu.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Ah, the circle is crooked. He digs through his bag for a protractor. It's okay, he'll get to modeling eventually. Just... probably not anytime this week.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi's halfway through fixing the design of one of the smaller pieces when a loud rapping sound breaks his concentration. With a curse, he quickly erases the line gone askew and shoves his papers haphazardly into his bag.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The knocking becomes more insistent by the second.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Coming!" he yells as he scrambles off his bed, then utters another curse when he realizes the time. "Coming...!" he repeats, only a lot quieter.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He stands on his tiptoes and nearly loses an eyeball when he sees who's standing - <em>in his pajamas -</em> in front of his hotel door. Yugi fumbles at the lock before yanking the door open. He doesn't bother to hide his disbelief.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Kaiba-kun?!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>This is becoming a disturbing, reoccurring event.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He's spared a scathing glance. "You look horrible."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi tries not to show his discomfort. Much. There are <em>way</em> too many latent accusations packed into just one sentence. It's kind of impressive, actually.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Nice to see you too, Kaiba-kun..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You still have trouble sleeping."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>A statement. An angry sounding statement. Yugi's brow furrows in confusion. Why would Kaiba be-?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Oh god. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The tournament.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I- Yes."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi doesn't even fight it when Kaiba strides into his room like vengeance itself. <em>Batman</em>, his sleep deprived brain supplies.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>'I am the night,' </em>says a voice that strangely sounds like Jounouchi. So it really sounds more like, '<em>Ai</em><em> amu da naito</em>.' He really should not be speaking English. He's awful at it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Still?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi rubs the back of his neck as he slowly closes the door behind him. Maybe he can just. Stay here. And be safe. Well, safer. Because Angry Kaiba at three in the morning is a Scary Kaiba.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>No such luck. The CEO (and technically his boss?) sends him a glare so sharp that makes the distance between them feel irrelevant.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yugi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He squeezes his eyes shut. "Sorry."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You should be. I invested money on you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi flinches. Right. Official business.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm sorry, Kaiba-kun."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi cringes even harder as he watches Kaiba's eyes drift down to the mess that is Yugi's bag. Oh please don't ask,<em> please don't ask-</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kaiba's head jerks away from it. "Does your friendship brigade know?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Huh?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kaiba slowly turns to face him, his arms crossed. "Do they know? About your sleeping habits."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi drops his eyes to the carpet. It's really nice carpet, actually. He almost got a really bad grease stain in it when he was ordering room service and had something definitely a tad bit too greasy. Thank goodness for Mom's life hacks.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Wait, what? Oh right. Sleeping habits.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes." Technically. "I've told them the same thing. It's kind of a natural process, you know? I'll get over it eventually."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi tries for a reassuring smile but Kaiba's flat stare says it all.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Right." Kaiba walks closer to Yugi's bed and peers down at the duel monsters cards that he left scattered on the night stand.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi takes a hesitant step forward. What was he...?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"No Black Magician?" Kaiba looks back up at him and cocks an eyebrow.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Damn.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It's suddenly very easy to look at anything but Kaiba. "Yeah, I. Well, I wanted to try something different. Besides, it would be a shame not to test out those new support cards."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I suppose it would be." Much to Yugi's surprise, Kaiba gathers up his cards and puts them into the deck box. The way he handles them is surprisingly... gentle. "A disappointment for your fans, though." He sends Yugi a pointed look. "The Black Magician is your signature card, after all."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Your signature card.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi bites his bottom lip. How did Kaiba...? He mentally shrugs it off. It's too early in the morning to go down that line of thought.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's only going to be for the first few rounds. Like I said, I just want to try something different. Like using my Silent Magician and Silent Swordsman. I'll use the Black Magician eventually." He tries for a smile. "Doing it this way makes things interesting."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The scoff he earns from Kaiba tells him that his sponsor isn't convinced. Not in the slightest.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Sure." Kaiba picks up a few stray papers that Yugi missed and places them into the bag with the same amount of care he had toward Yugi's cards. In an almost offhanded fashion, he mutters, "You need to be more organized with your things."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>For the briefest of moments, Yugi wonders if this is what Kaiba is like when he's alone with Mokuba. Chiding but kind, if not a bit exasperated.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Ah, sorry about the mess. I wasn't expecting any visitors."</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>You know, with it being the dead of night and all, </em>he almost adds. But doesn't because. Well. Pretty sure that's not something Kaiba wants to hear out of him given the current situation.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi walks up to Kaiba and tries to take the bag from him. "Please, let me take care of that?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kaiba considers him for a moment before handing over the bag with a huff. With a subdued mumble of thanks, Yugi sets it on the floor.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He can't help but frown. Okay, so Kaiba has effectively stopped him from working and scolded him for his sleeping habits. If that isn't weird or hypocritical enough. Yugi turns a wary eye at the CEO.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Shouldn't he have-</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Kaiba-kun?!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Blankets still suspended partially in the air by a clenched fist, Kaiba sends him a stink eye. "What?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi raises placating hands. Well, more like raising his arms up for protection. "Kaiba-kun. What are you doing?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Judging by the way Kaiba clicks his tongue, the question was an utter and complete waste of his time. "Going to sleep. As should you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>And with that, he settles himself into Yugi's bed like it's nothing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Oh Ra, he's hallucinating. One giant, wild hallucination. Yugi pinches himself for extra measure.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Ow... So this is actually happening.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I- Okay." Yugi's brain just about short circuits. "Good- Good night?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kaiba glances over his shoulder and <em>geez</em>, he should have the word 'expasperated' trademarked. "What are you doing? Get in."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Did Yugi say his brains were fried? He takes that back. <em>Now</em> his brains are fried.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm sorry?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Did you plan on sleeping on the floor? I thought only the mutt did that."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi opens his mouth to defend his best friend, but unfortunately the only thought his brain is capable of processing right now is:</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>What the actual heck is going on?</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yugi, hurry up and get in the bed."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Snappish voice. He's pressed Kaiba's patience to the limit, that much is clear. But why-? Yugi suppresses the urge to express his distress via very high pitched groan as he gingerly crawls into bed. And sleeps precariously on the edge of it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Which he nearly falls off of when he hears a click of a certain someone's tongue.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"What are you doing, there's plenty of room."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"This is weird." Yugi blurts out before he can stop himself.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"How, exactly? If memory serves me right, you where the one who insisted on sleeping in the same tent while we were in Egypt."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>First off, Yugi did not. That just sort of kind of just happened. Second of all, this is <em>nothing like</em> sharing a tent.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He sits up and faces the current perpetrator of all his suffering. Damn. Kaiba's back is facing him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"How are you going to explain you walking in and out of my hotel room in just your pajamas? At." Yugi glances at the clock. "A questionable hour."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kaiba still won't turn to face him. "I have a PR. They can deal with it. And this wouldn't have been a problem in the first place if you remembered your commitments."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Right. Sorry. But... I don't understand...?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I don't need to explain myself to you, Yugi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kaiba really doesn't, but Yugi would much rather know for sure than to make assumptions that will undeniably haunt his every waking and sleeping moment.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>As if sensing that Yugi hasn't moved, Kaiba continues to speak, "I need you well rested for the tournament. If you can't do that much, then you really aren't worth my time."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Right. Sorry," Yugi apologizes for what seems like the billionth time within the span of ten minutes. He picks at imaginary loose threads on the blanket. That he's sharing. With Kaiba. Holy Ra, this is so weird. "But really, you don't have to stay here. I'll go to sleep. I promise."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He takes a tentative glance at the person lying beside him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Not even bothering to look at him, Kaiba scoffs. "Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere. Knowing you, you'd lose track of time <em>again</em> and never go to sleep. Need I remind you that I need you in top mental and physical condition tomorrow?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yugi resists the urge to groan. Why is this guy so confusing? He opens his mouth to give Kaiba a piece of his mind, but then it suddenly all clicks into place.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>You still have trouble sleeping.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He immediately wants to dismiss the idea. Chalk it up to crazy late night thoughts and call this all a hallucination caused by sleep deprivation. After all, there was no way Kaiba of all people would remember something insignificant that happened months ago, right? Especially one that he deemed as 'a nuisance.' This was Kaiba Seto. As much as Yugi would like to think that they've at least reached the point of acquaintance-ship, there's just no way.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>But-</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nope. Yugi is not going down that rabbit hole, not tonight. That's future Yugi's problem. And besides. Sure, Kaiba is acting... slightly un-Kaiba-like, but now that he thinks about it, Yugi shouldn't be ungrateful for this (albeit unconventional) act of kindness. His parents and Ji-chan taught him better.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>With that in mind, Yugi plops back down onto the pillows and makes himself comfortable. Turns his gaze to Kaiba and smiles at the back of his head because, of course, the man <em>still</em> refuses to look at him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"No, you don't. And... Thank you. For looking out for me."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The only reply he receives is a gruff grunt, but that's more than enough.</p>
</div><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading!</p><p>One of these days I'll give these two the monster slow burn fic they deserve lol</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>